This thread is for the new members (we old timers know this stuff lol). Please, neuter/spay your dogs. Breeding is very long, complicated, and costs a lot of money. If you are interested in breeding your dog you should have many years of experience with that certain breed. For more info, Read “You think you know it all” by love4pits. She has some real useful info.

Benefits of neutering males: Since testicular cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most common cancer in dogs, castration of the male obviously removes this risk as well as risks associated with testicular torsion and infections. As with human males, non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate is a major problem, involving more than 60 percent of the sexually intact male more than five years of age.

Studies show that as many as 60% of the castrated males show a decline in unprovoked aggression toward other dogs. In addition, one study showed a decrease of 90% in the tendency of neutered dogs to roam. Animal behavior expert Benjamin L. Hart, DVM, PhD, sums up the effects of neutering on pet personality by noting that the procedure causes no basic personality changes except in the cases of roaming and aggression. Activities such as playfulness, activity level, watchful barking and affection-seeking are, in Dr. Hart's opinion, not changed at all by the neutering.

Benefits of spaying females: For the bitch, the most important effect of spaying is protection against mammary cancer, the most common tumor in sexually intact female dogs. The risk to intact bitches of developing this kind of cancer is three to seven times greater than that of neutered bitches. The risk of mammary tumor is lowest for bitches spayed prior to the first heat - a mere 0.5% ; spayed after the first or second season, the risk of mammarycancer rises as high as 26%.

Another benefit of spaying is the prevention of Pyometra, a severe infection of the uterus. Also, risks due to unwanted matings and to pregnancy and whelping are removed.

Many people believe that neutering will cause the dog to gain weight. However, this is not true. If the neutered are in a proper diet with proper excersize (sp?) (daily walks), your dog should be fine.

Early vs. Late Castrating: At Minnesota, Dr. Katherine Salmeri and associates conducted an extensive study of the effects of early neutering/spaying on dogs. There were no problems in neutering/spaying seven-week old puppies; anesthesia was simple and there were no complications in recovery. Surgical time in bitches was considerably reduced due to the lack of abdominal fat. Pups were returned to their litters and were eating within an hour.

Castration before puberty did not affect growth; actually, there was some evidence that early castration increased long-bone length. The neutered dogs were not less active as they went into adulthood, there were no changes in social behavior and the effect of neutering at seven weeks was similar to that of neutering at seven months.

So there you have it, I wanted to make this thread because of Bichon_lover's thread. Sorry if it seems rushed, I was going through it kinda quickly. And yes I did get this info from educational dog websites, lol.